Triad
by weasleymistress
Summary: Annabelle has been battling her feelings for her long-time best friends Fred and George Weasley, but when they feel the same, a bond between the three will change their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

"You can't hide from us forever, Annabelle!"

"You'll have to come out sometime!"

I scurried further down the narrow hallway of our apartment, attempting to put more distance between the redheaded twins and myself.

Their footsteps stopped abruptly, and after a moment's silence, they softly padded my way.

"Got'cha!" Fred yelled, seizing me around the waist and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Fred Weasley, you put me _down!_" I hit his back with my fists.

"Aw, come on, we're not that bad!" George interjected from behind.

Of course, it wouldn't be so easy for Fred to haul me back to his room if I wasn't so small. My much-less-that-average height had always been a steady source of jokes. Everything about me was short; my height, my hair, even my attention span. Especially my attention span.

Once we entered the Fred's small, crowded yet equally cozy room, Fred placed – or should I say pitched me to the ground. I landed with a graceless _umph_, rubbing my bum and cursing silently.

"Please Annabelle? We just need you to test out one thing, just one!" George kneeled next to me, an easily deceivable innocent look on his face.

"And we'll never ask you to do anything for us ever again!" Fred added, moving next to his brother.

"That's what you said last time." I reminded them. "And I had periodic nose bleeds every day for three weeks."

They glanced at each other, communicating noiselessly.

"Please?" Fred begged.

"For us?" George echoed.

"Just this once?"

"The last time, honest."

"We'll be your best friends?" They chorused.

I laughed because they were my best friends, and had been since we started at Hogwarts. And all through Hogwarts, and all through the war, and all through the two months Fred was in the hospital after.

"Look, if I do this for you guys, you have to promise that I won't get a nose bleed." They nodded.

"Or puke."

Another nod.

"Or change color."

Nods.

"Or grow a tail or any other extra extremity."

"For Merlins sake, Annabelle, here." Fred handed me a small, beige colored hard-candy. I stared at it for a while, judging the appearance. It looked harmless, but then again, this was Fred and George.

Sighing, I stuck the candy in my mouth. It was sweet, like honey, and left a candied taste and feeling down my throat and into my stomach. I waited a few seconds before moving.

"Well?" They asked in unison.

It was at this moment that the affects of the candy hit me. I opened my mouth to tell them I felt nothing, and unless they were planning on joining up with Honeydukes, they'd better get back to work, but when I made to speak, no sound came out. Nothing. Nada. Closing my mouth and opening it, I tried again. Nothing.

Fred and George were wearing identical grins. I widened my eyes at them and reached for my wand. They both backed away quickly, because although I had never been much good at non-verbal spells, I could handle myself.

"Don't worry, the antidote should wear it off." George ventured. I raised my eyebrows.

_"Should?"_

"Wrong thing to say, Georgy." Fred reprimanded teasingly.

"I'll just go and get it then." George said quietly, and he headed off out the door.

I, still unable to make noise of any kind, stood up, faced the wall, and crossed my arms over my chest, soundlessly showing my annoyance.

I heard Fred get up behind me, heard his footsteps cross the room, but I was still unable to understand how it happened.

"Don't be mad, Annabelle, we can fix it." He whispered. His hands were on his shoulders, trailing down my arms, over my torso and back again. His nose swept up my neck. All I could think about was the fact that this was Fred and it was wrong, but his lips were so close to mine. I had one fleeting thought; I couldn't speak, and therefore could not say no…or yes. Or tell him to not stop, to don't ever stop. And in another instant, I lost all thought and there was only Fred, and his hands, and his mouth, playing behind my ear, not quite touching it.

And then the door was flown open, and Fred was off me in an instant and I jumped so badly that I landed once again on the floor.

"Here's the antidote." George smiled, coming in the room with a small bottle in his hands. I noticed, however brief it may have been, that they looked at each other, in that silent-connection way.

"Just take a swig, but hold it there for a moment, we'll tell you when you can swallow." George sat beside me, followed by his brother. I took the bottle; my mind still dazed by recent events, and took a mouthful. It tasted like frog brains. Closing my eyes and wrinkling my nose, I waited until I could swallow.

"Okay, hold on." I heard Fred.

"Almost there." George.

"Swallow." They instructed.

I swallowed it, and although it left a tingling feeling in my throat, I was fine. Well, almost fine. I was still completely mind-boggled by what Fred and I had just done, and how he was just standing there as if everything were normal. Things were definitely not normal.

Say something." Fred encouraged softly.

The best I could come up with was a small, shocked "_Oh!_"

"Well, she's talking again!" George grinned.

"It works!"

"Well, we've got work to do, so we'll be off then." And with no further parting glance, they stood up and strode out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

I could barely look Fred in the eye all week. It was humiliating to share an apartment with someone I couldn't stand to be in the same room with. I mean, I still loved Fred, of course, and I wasn't angry with him, but I was _confused. _So horribly, blunderingly, hopelessly confused.

Growing up with Fred and George, of course I had my fair share of crushes on them, but usually I got over them, and they stopped altogether in our third year at Hogwarts. I had kissed both of them countless times, for dares, under mistletoes, on the cheek, but they never meant anything. Or felt quite the way our almost-kiss had.

So, in the midst of me avoiding all twin-related contact, I forgot all about my 'family reunion' at my great aunt's. It wasn't until the twins woke me up and told me to get dressed that I remembered I had invited them.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family, it's just once a year, all us Clarks get together and that many insane witches and wizards is enough to set anybody off. And to top it all off, this year it's being hosted at my Great Aunt Grace's small cottage a few hours from here. Aunt Grace is crazy. And I mean crazy. Last year, she told me to watch her cat, Mr. Piddles, while she went to the bathroom. It took us twenty minutes to remind her Mr. Piddles died two years ago.

We all took the floo, and once we got there, I did my best to mix in with the rest of my family.

"Annabelle! You look gorgeous!" I turned around to see my cousin, Elizabeth Clark. Elizabeth was tall, blond, blue-eyed, skinny, and basically everything I wasn't. She stood a full six inches over my head at 5'7 with golden hair running down her back.

"Me? Look at you!" I faked a smile and hugged her, trying to keep a straight face. Liz and I had always rivaled each other. She could beat me in any class, but I could lap her on the Quidditch field. She could dance better than anyone I knew, but I could out-sing her any time. The tiebreaker for us was always boys. She had guys begging at her feet, while I had guys asking me if I was _really _Elizabeth's cousin.

"How're the boys doing?" She smiled, cat-like and sinister.

"Fine, fine. They're here now, actually." I answered, watching her face. Liz had always been after the twins. They were the only guys that would rather spend time with me over her, and that bothered her.

"Really? We must catch up! Where are they?" She stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd.

"Not sure, but if you see them, tell them to meet me in the kitchen!" I didn't really want to meet them, but I knew it annoyed her that I could tell them where to go and when, and she couldn't.

After Elizabeth disappeared, I was headed toward the bar when Aunt Grace caught up to me.

"Annabelle, where's that boyfriend of yours?" She asked loudly, attracting more elderly female relatives.

"Aunt Grace, I told you. There is _two _of them, and they're not my boyfriends." I reminded her gently.

"Nonsense. I want to meet him, where is he?"

"Yes, Anna, where is this mystery man?

"Introduce us!"

My grandmas and great aunts and other elderly kinfolk were flocking to me like birds. I could barely make out one question from another.

"Uh…you know what, he's actually in the kitchen, why don't I go get him." As fast as I could, I high-tailed it out of there.

Speed walking through living room, I made a beeline for the kitchen, bursting through the door with a sigh.

"Still jealous of Liz, after all these years?"

I whipped around to see George, leaning against the counter casually.

"I am not jealous of her." I argued hotly.

He chuckled in response. "What's eating at you?"

"Aunt Grace. She's got herds of senior citizens after me, asking about my 'boyfriend'."

He laughed again.

"It's not funny! I thought I was going to suffocate on perfume out there!"

"Do they still think there's only one of us?" He asked, a teasing smile on his face.

"Yes. And they all want to meet you. I was lucky I escaped with my life."

"Well, that's the least of your worries. Here comes the motley crew now." He gestured to the small window in the door, which I stood up to look out of, and saw Aunt Grace and several other allies heading toward the kitchen.

"Oh Lords..." I mumbled, searching frantically for a way out. Surely they were almost here by now. Merlin's beard, what do I do?

George sighed, stood up straight and walked toward me. I looked up at him, and raised an eyebrow at his half-hidden smirk.

I felt his arm around my waist, a hand at the small of my back, the other up to my neck, and his lips came down softly onto mine. My eyes closed, and he deepened the kiss, slowly tracing his tongue on the inside of my upper lip, over my bottom and back up again. He gave a gentle push from behind with one hand, and I leaned into his chest. This was far different than my experience with Fred. With Fred, it was more zeal, like a raging fire, consuming you whole. But George was more of an ember, burning brightly, but softly, building to a flame. I heard the kitchen door open, heard their shuffling feet, and then small, endearing gasps, before they backed out and closed the door quietly.

It took a few seconds for me to remember that this was George, whom I should not be kissing, and that this was wrong, especially only a few days after the whole Fred thing.

I opened my eyes; George was staring at me, the kiss slowing, before he pulled away softly.

"Problem solved." He whispered.

"Yeah…er, thanks." I squeaked, my voice high with panic, and I turned on my heel and practically ran out of there.

Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. What is going on? First I'm almost kissing with Fred, now I'm full on making out with George.

My head was muddled as I made my way to the back of the parlor room, sitting in one of the over-stuffed chairs.

Why are those two doing this to me? I didn't do anything to them, I don't deserve this cruel form of confusion.

What are they playing at, anyhow? I've seen them with girls. I thought I knew all their tricks. After the war, girls were swarming to them like moths to a flame. I've seen them charm, trick, and play throngs of girls into their hands, both together and alone. So what were they doing now?

Whatever it was, it made my head hurt. Come to think of, it made my head _throb. _I noticed, for the first time, that my head was indeed throbbing. Rubbing my temples, I got up and prowled to the kitchen, nervously checking for spots of red hair. I also peeked through the window in the kitchen door to make sure George wasn't still in there, just to be safe. When I sure it was clear, I stepped inside and looked around.

Aunt Grace's kitchen was crowded, and there were teapots, teacups, and various sugar jars over every counter. But all I needed simple medication! If I were a medicine cabinet, where would I be? I opened up masses of drawers and cabinets until I found it. Reaching in, I took out a few bottles until I found the right one.

A teaspoon should do it. Locating a small spoon, I poured the purple liquid from the bottle marked _'Pain Relieving Remedies'_ and swallowed it. It tasted not altogether unpleasant, but it did the trick.

Well, not really. I put away the spoon and the bottle, giving the potion a moment to kick in. It didn't. Walking slowly back to my seat, -still watching for the twins- the potion still had no affect.

That's odd. It should have fixed it right up, but the headache, perhaps slightly duller, was still there at the base of my skull.

The pestering headache continued throughout the day, and while I did catch the eye of Fred and George once or twice, I managed to stay off their radar.

I didn't actually speak to either of them until we were waiting our turn for the floo.

"Didn't see much of you, did we?" Fred commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, you know me; busy, busy." I answered, still tense.

They exchanged a look.

"Well, Elizabeth's charming." George added after a moment, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Charmed me right into a headache." Fred interjected. "Couldn't get away from that one all day."

This caught my attention. What a coincidence, huh?

"You know Freddie, I've got quite the migraine as well." George said as he stepped into the fireplace.

As soon as we got home, I ran straight to bed. Slipping on my pajamas, I lied in bed, my mind puzzled.

All three of us got headaches? But, that was to be expected at my family reunion, right? I comforted myself with the flimsy thought.

My thoughts led to today's affair. I thought over many different reasons and scenarios. What was going on? Why did they insist on making me feel like this? Nervous to walk by them, embarrassed to talk to them, making me feel like we could… No. No, I do _not _think we could do anything of that sort. Never. Right?

It's so humiliating to not be in on this. To have them scheming against me like this. And I don't even know what they're trying to accomplish. To make me doubt myself? To make me second-guess my decision to stay out of their love lives? To make me wonder what would've happened if I really _had _had the courage to kiss them all those years ago?

It's not fair, really. Why should they get the right to dig up all those feelings that I've tried to hard to bury so deep inside me? Who do they think they are, running around, toying with my emotions willy-nilly? They really shouldn't play with my immense love for the both of them. They're blurring the finely drawn line I had made between friends and something more.

Those insufferable gits.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, sorry I've been gone for so long, I know you all probably hate me. I've been **_**very **_**busy this past month, and I had, average, 3 therapy sessions a week. (OCD can be a bitch.) But on a lighter note, I was so happy to see the response I got from the first chapters so keep it up! I'm trying to give this story some space, I want it to be my best work, and I believe in quality over quantity :) Reviews cure my writer's block!**

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><p>I woke up from the noise. The twins confused and muffled shouts penetrated my sleep, and I opened my eyes groggily. Sighing, I rolled over, trying to dislodge myself from the tangle of bed sheets, when a sharp and searing pain shot up my spine.<p>

"Ow!" I yelped, shocked.

What the hell? I craned my neck to look at my shoulder. I screamed at what I found. A small, flesh colored triangle, no bigger than a bottle cap, was imprinted on the back of my shoulder blade. It looked a bit like a scar, but it was much too straight and aligned to be from a wound.

Fred and George came streaming in to the room, wearing nothing but boxer shorts, nearly tripping over themselves.

"What did you two do?" I shrieked, hurling myself from the bed. The second my feet touched the ground, another wave of pain shot over me, and I stumbled right into Fred.

"Ouch!" They both howled in unison.

"Fix it!" I muttered through clenched teeth.

"Us?" Fred questioned.

"We didn't do anything!" George defended.

"Hey, she's got one too!" Fred's hand had brushed over the obscure marking, making me flinch in his arms.

"Sorry," He muttered.

"Wait, what do you mean 'too'? Have you guys got one of these…things?" I pointed to my shoulder.

They both turned around I could see the identical triangular blemishes on their shoulder.

"What do you suppose it is?" I asked, looking at them worriedly.

"I don't know, but we'd better ask Mum." George answered. Fred and I agreed and we rushed to change and quickly floo over to the Burrow.

I don't know if you've ever had to change and step into a fireplace with a throbbing, burning, unknown marking on your back, but it's not very fun. In fact, it's miserable.

Still ow-ing and ouch-ing, the three of us tumbled into the living room, knocking over a lamp in the process.

"My word, what is that racket?" Mrs. Weasley came bustling in from the kitchen, a dishrag in her hands. She spotted us, a heap on the ground, and smiled.

"Why didn't you three tell me you were dropping by?"

"Weren't planning to, mum." George answered, standing and help me to my feet.

"We have a, uh…problem." Fred finished, brushing soot of his sleeve.

"Mrs. Weasley, do you think you could help us with something?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Of course dear, what do you need?" She looked slightly worried.

"Well, um…we kind of have this…thing, sort of like a scar, but not really." I tried explaining it to her.

"Mum, do you know what this is?" Fred lifted his shirt to show the marking. Mrs. Weasley's reaction was immediate. Her face went from motherly aid to horribly upset.

"Mum, what is it? What's the matter?" George asked, stepping in front of me protectively. As soon as Mrs. Weasley saw this, she burst into sobs.

"Molly? What's going on? Is that Fred and George?" Mr. Weasley came into the room, and ran to Mrs. Weasley's side.

"What happened?" He asked the twins, trying to comfort Mrs. Weasley.

"We're not sure, we woke up this morning with this marking on all of our shoulders, we asked her about it but…" Fred trailed off, looking worriedly at his mother. I started to get panicky. What was this thing? Why was Mrs. Weasley crying? Why would no one tell us what was happening? Almost instantly, Fred put his arm over my shoulder, giving me a one-armed hug.

"What marking?" Mr. Weasley asked. Again, Fred lifted his shirt to show his father the triangle. Mr. Weasley went white as a ghost.

"You've all got that marking, have you?" He asked. We all nodded.

I couldn't help it; tears had sprung to my eyes. Were we in danger? What did this marking mean? More importantly, would it hurt Fred and George?

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Mr. Weasley led his wife up the stairs.

I looked questioningly at the twins, asking for their thoughts.

"Don't cry, Annabelle." George whispered.

"It'll be fine. Mum overreacts to everything." Fred added, squeezing me again.

We sat in a huddled silence until Mr. Weasley came back down the stairs.

"Sit down, you three." He gestured to the couch, we all sat hurriedly. Mr. Weasley sat down slowly, looking dejected, a pitying look in his eyes.

"Dad, what's going on?" Fred asked.

"I suppose if this were to happen to anyone, it would be you three." Mr. Weasley looked us all in the eye before continuing.

"That's powerful magic you've got there." He said.

"What, the mark?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's a bond."

I could picture our confused faces.

"Those marks? They're a showing of just how deep the bond between you three is."

"Bond?" George asked, eyebrows raised.

Mr. Weasley sighed meaningfully. "When a group of wizards or witches get particularly close, their magic can…latch on to one another. That mark appears when the wizards and witches magic can no longer stand to be apart, and they join. I think you've all had this bond for a while now, but now its finally official."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, I'm still not quite understanding." I spoke.

"Annabelle, you love Fred and George?" He asked.

"Of course." I answered.

"And Fred, George, you love Annabelle?"

"Absolutely." They said in unison.

"And it's that love combined with your inseparable magic that creates this bond. You have to understand that a wizard or witches magic is a very powerful thing, on its own. But put magic that's already formed such a connection with love for another person that's so strong, and it combines the two in such a way that joins the wizard and witch for life."

I sat dumbstruck. It finally made sense. I recalled a fuzzy memory; Professor Lupin telling us about wizarding bonds. Explaining the strongest of them formed within a trio. What was it called again?

"Triumvirate Bonds!" I exclaimed, the name coming back to me.

"Yes, that's the one." Mr. Weasley nodded.

"Triumvirate?" Fred asked.

"Do you remember when we were learning about Wizarding bonds from Lupin?"

"Wizarding bonds…oh yeah!" George added.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat.

"Sorry, so, what exactly does this mean?" I turned toward him.

"And why was mum crying?" Fred continued.

"Well, Triumvirate Bonds can be very dangerous." He answered. I felt myself, along with Fred and George, go tense.

"With a Triumvirate Bond, you are much closer to the other wizards or witches than that in any other bond. You're connected, once again, not only by magic, but also by love, by souls. So, you are in tune with that person's emotion, their feelings, and their pain. …In turn, if one person in the triad were to perish, its safe to assume the others would as well." Mr. Weasleys voice trailed away.

This was too much to handle. Even thinking about Fred or George dying made me sick to my stomach, but now I know that even if they physically aren't in danger, my life still held the possibility that they could be. It isn't really my own any more. And by the protective, worried looks on Fred and George's faces, I could tell they were feeling the same way.

"Annabelle?" Mr. Weasley looked at me, concerned. It wasn't until George wiped away a stray tear from my cheek that I realized I had been crying.

"Don't cry, sweetie." Fred enveloped me in his arms, holding me close.

"Boys, there's still one other thing I should tell you." Mr. Weasley said softly. We all snapped our attention back to him.

"At the moment, Annabelle is still in harms way."

"Why?"

"How?" They both asked, their faces hard.

"Because she is the only witch, and out numbered by you both, she is at more of a risk. This is why Triumvirate Bonds are not looked upon lightly. You two are brothers, twins, and both wizards, already more united than she, and because of that, your joined magic is a risk to her.

"At a moment of anger, joy, sadness, any moment that might overcome your senses, your magic poses a threat to her. It could overwhelm her own magic, part of the magic that connects you three, and break the bond, but the effects would alter you all. It could strip you of magic completely, and if that doesn't happen, it could certainly kill Annabelle." Mr. Weasley finished, leaving me shell-shocked, and Fred and George angry.

"How to do fix it? George demanded.

"What can we do?" Fred pleaded.

"In order to full connect her to the way you two are, you need to be exposed to one another in the most intuitive way possible." Mr. Weasley spoke softly.

They boys got it before I did. "Dad, are you serious?" Fred asked, his expression unreadable.

"That's the only way?" George intervened.

"You two, of course, don't have to, but with Annabelle, it must be done to put her, and all three of you, out of danger." Mr. Weasley explained. "I have to go see to your mother now, come back in a few days, alright?" He walked up the stairs and receded from view.

"You guys?" I asked in a small voice, "What did he mean 'exposed'?

"We'll tell you later," Fred stood up, pulling me by the hand.

"At home." George finished. In a daze, they quickly flooed us back to our flat.


	4. Chapter 4

**So, introducing…Chapter 4! Yay! It's a little shorter than I would have liked, but I wanted to cut off so I could start the next one at the beginning of a scene so, here it is. I also wanted the thank those of you who reviewed, because your input really means a lot to me. **

**P.S. I put up some pictures of Annabelle, Elizabeth, and the bond markings on my profile, so check it out! **

I scrambled into out living room, clutching Fred's hand for balance. Once we had all gotten in, I sat on the couch, bringing Fred and George both with me.

"Okay, fess up, what do we have to do?" I questioned.

They fidgeted in their seats. I don't really know how to explain this, but it was like I could feel their discomfort. I could sense what they were enduring.

"Please, guys, just tell me. I want to keep us all safe."

"In order for you to be as…connected to us as we are, we have to, uh, familiarize ourselves with each other, or more you, actually, inside and out." George answered, trying to put it as delicately as possible.

"Hm?" I was still perplexed.

"We have to open ourselves up as much as we can to another person," Fred continued.

"_Inside_ and _out_." They repeated.

"Oh." I managed, once the meaning of what they said hit me.

They had to familiarize themselves with me, I had to open up to them. Like, intimately open up to them. That was a lot to ask. To be honest, the idea of sex had popped into my head as soon as I figured what the marks meant. I mean, us being connected like this, on top of all the other feelings, I doubt we could all withstand the sexual tension for very long. But to be asked to it, as a mandatory instruction instead of just a pleasant outcome was something different altogether.

I'd only ever slept with two people my entire life, and I regretted both. Sex was supposed to be passionate, intimate, heated, and animated. Could we ever have that if it forced upon us? I know its necessary and I know we have to, but that doesn't mean I want to. Not like this anyway.

I don't know if Fred and George could sense my feelings, or if they just saw it on my face, because they wrapped their arms around me, holding close to both of them.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Annabelle." George mumbled.

"No one is forcing you." Fred soothed.

"No, no, we have to. If it'll keep you two safe, then I'll do it." I pushed them away so I could look at them. "We-we don't have to do it now, do we?" I was almost too afraid to ask.

"No, we'll go back to Dad on Saturday, see what he thinks." Fred chuckled.

"Go to bed, love."

They both kissed me softly, and walked me to my room. I guess I should get used to this. The kissing, and the hugging, and the overall closeness. It weird, odd, but not unpleasant. Fred, George, and I, we're…close. It shouldn't be that hard to sip into this new bond thing…right? But it's still so new, and odd, and I'm not sure if I'll ever adjust completely.

Deep in my own thoughts, I showered, slipped on an over-sized t-shirt and got into bed. Closing my eyes forcibly, I willed myself to sleep. This went on for probably 10 minutes, in which I tossed and turned profusely. Giving up, I stared at my ceiling, my head still slightly buzzing.

That's when I first felt it. Initially, it was just the mark, sending currents through my body, effectively waking me up even more. Then it was the nerve wrecking feeling that I needed to get to Fred and George, now. It was as if that single thought overcame my entire being, and I pulled myself out of bed. I wasn't quite sure what my intentions were, but it seemed that a magnetic force was pulling me out of the room. I stepped quickly, dashing through the halls toward the gravitational pull. It wasn't until I came face-to-face with the door to George's bedroom that I knew what I was doing.

Quietly, unsure if he was sleeping, I opened the door and tiptoed in. The curtains were pulled open, letting white light from outside illuminate the room. I could see George's bed, and lying on it was George, wide-awake. He looked up at my arrival, and gave a small half-smile.

He didn't say anything, he just moved a bit to the side, making room for me. I climbed in the bed and stretched out over his chest. I don't know how I knew that I was supposed to be here, I just knew that I felt a lot better once I was here. But there was still something not quite right…Fred. He wasn't here, and I started to get slightly panicky again.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when Fred opened the door, saw us on the bed and sighed, sounding relieved. George and I instinctively moved over more, allowing Fred to lie on my left, while George was on my right. Fred draped an arm around my waist, holding me to him as I held George to me. I laid there, sandwiched between the two people I loved most in the entire world, and my worries from before ebbed away, and I relaxed.

George kissed my forehead and laid my head in the crook of his neck. Fred kissed my shoulder and traced patterns slowly on my stomach with his fingers. It wasn't weird, or odd. And we were silent, and it wasn't awkward, it was a nice silence. The comfortable kind, where you can sit there and not feel the need to say anything, or be hyper-aware of where your hands are, the kind where you don't want to ruin the moment with spoken words, because you all know how the others are feeling already.

Fred and George Weasley were not expecting to form an extremely powerful, possibly dangerous magical bond when they admitted that they were both in love with Annabelle. They agreed on pursuing her after months of arguments with each other and with themselves. But, since she undoubtedly knew all their tactics, they needed a way to slowly show her they were serious without scaring her off.

After some thought, they decided luring her into facing the feelings they all knew were in her was the best way to go. Who knew it would catch on this fast?

They had courted their fair share of women by working together, but it was always as a favor to the other. Annabelle had bee different. Of course, the brothers didn't want to fight over her, and the relationship between the three seemed too strong to break over any silly territorial claim.

The morning after they went to their parents to seek help was one of the bests either twin could remember. Waking up with Annabelle between them, sleeping softly, her short cropped curls brushing against her jaw line and cheekbones. It was getting hard to remember why this bond was a bad thing.

Just ignore them Annabelle, they'll go away.

They have to stop staring at some point.

Eventually they'll get bored and leave.

Ugh. I sighed, irritated, and continued stacking the Patented Daydream Charms on their shelves. A few minutes ago I had reached up to put one on a high shelf and my robe slipped off my shoulder, revealing the bond mark in front of a pack of middle-aged wizards. While their kids bustled around the shop excitedly, they all decided to stand there and stare at me as if I were behind a sheet of glass.

I swear if their kids weren't buying so many products, I'd be kicking them on their arses right here.

"Alright, Annabelle?" George asked, sauntering over from the other side of the shop. The four gentlemen blinked and fixed their eyes on him.

"I'm fine," I said quietly, looking back to the shelf.

"They're not giving you any trouble, are they?" He mumbled to me and jerked his thumb at the men.

"No, just gawking like idiots, but it's fine, George, really." I assured him. "They'll probably leave soon anyway."

"Fine. But don't expect us to sit by if anymore people start treating you like a zoo exhibit." He kissed my cheek before turning away, but before he left sent a menacing glare at the group, which in turn sent them scrambling to retrieve their children.


End file.
